


Not Too Hot to Handle

by opalmatrix



Category: Wild Adapter
Genre: Caretaking, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, Nursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 17:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/839530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalmatrix/pseuds/opalmatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kubota's not feeling well at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Too Hot to Handle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [devera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/devera/gifts).



> This was meant to be for Hurt/Comfort Bingo 2013, but I didn't get it done in time. [**devera**](http://archiveofourown.org/users/devera/pseuds/devera) wanted Tokito and Kubota for the prompt "Taking care of someone." Beta by **[smillaraaq](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Smillaraaq/)**.

Tokito woke suddenly, his heart thudding like the sound of a train roaring down the subway tracks – _clackety-clackety-clackety_ , just like that. It took him a moment to realize why, but then Kubota hit him in the head.

It wasn't a very good hit, fortunately. "Kubo, what the hell?"

Kubota was breathing hard, thrashing around like he was fighting with someone. There wasn't anyone but the two of them in the room, was there?

One of Kubo's kicking feet hit Tokito in the shin. "Ow, Kubo, quit it, you jerk!" 

Tokito rolled out of bed and snapped on the bedside lamp. Kubo's face was shining with sweat and his eyes were half-open, but he didn't seem to be looking at anything. Tokito grabbed him by the arm and shook him, hard. "Stop that! What's wrong with you?"

Kubo's face turned toward him, focusing as much as he ever could without his glasses on. Then he tried to kick Tokito properly, hard. Tokito skipped backward, and Kubota fell out of bed onto the floor.

He made a horrible thumping crash when he hit, and for a moment he just lay there. Tokito was terrified. What if he'd broken his neck or something? Common sense came back a second later: Kubo hadn't fallen very far. "Kubo-chan?"

There was a soft sound then, so strange for Kubota that Tokito couldn't place it for a second. "Kubo-chan ... are you _crying?_ "

There was no answer, but the whimpering died away. Kubota sniffled and started to get up. He wasn't moving quite right, but Tokito was half scared to get close to him.

"Kubo-chan, do you want me to help you?"

Kubota stopped moving then. "Yeah," he said, at last. His voice was hoarse.

Tokito knelt down and got one arm around him, then hauled him into a sitting position. His skin felt weirdly hot, and his eyes were too shiny. "Do you want your glasses?"

Kubota rubbed his face with his hand. "Yeah, I guess."

Tokito handed them to him. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Probably bruises ... knees, elbow. Maybe my forehead."

"You tried to kick me. You look weird. And your skin's all hot."

Kubota put the glasses on and looked at him. His eyes still didn't seem to be tracking right. "I think ... maybe I'm sick."

"What should I do? Do you need medicine? Maybe I should go to that quack and make him give me something for you."

"What time is it?"

Tokito looked at the clock. "About 2:30 in the morning." Kubo shook his head and then looked like he wished he hadn't.

"Don't wake him up. It's probably just ... some stupid bug."

"Does your head hurt? We've got stuff for that, don't we?"

Kubota licked his lips. They looked dry. "Yeah. Oh yeah. That should be good for fever too. You said I was hot? I feel like I'm freezing."

"You need to get up off the floor, Kubo-chan."

He tried, but he couldn't seem to get his legs under him right. Tokito hauled him up and managed to get him sitting on the bed. Then he straightened out the bedding as much as he could and got Kubota under the covers again. "Can you get me some aspirin? And water?" Kubota asked.

"Yeah, of course." The bottle was in the bathroom cupboard. Tokito read the label. For fever. And pain. Two tablets. He shook them out, then went to the kitchen for one of the tall glasses.

In the end, he had to help Kubota hold the glass: he was shivering and shuddering, and he nearly dropped it. "S-so cold."

"You're burning up, Kubo-chan," said Tokito, in disbelief. He went to the cupboard where the sheets were and found another comforter, an old raggy one. He spread it over Kubota. It didn't seem to be helping much, so he climbed into bed and pulled him close.

"S-something I heard once," muttered Kubota. His teeth were chattering, which didn't make him any easier to understand. "If s-someone has a fever, s-omeone should get in b-bed naked with them."

"How can you be so perverted even when you're sick, Kubo-chan?"

Kubota tried to grin at him, or at least that's what Tokito thought he was trying to do. It was awful, like a ghoul in a horror movie. Tokito sighed. "Stop that, you look gross." He took off his T-shirt, got Kubota's off too, then spooned up behind him.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sleep like this: Kubota felt all wrong. But he must have drifted off anyway.

He woke up to faint morning light coming in through the closed blinds. Kubota was pushing the quilts off, and his skin and clothes and the bedding were all damp. But he felt cooler. "Hey, are you awake, Kubo-chan?"

Kubota made a grumpy little noise. His teeth weren't chattering anymore. It seemed a shame to wake him, but Tokito was pretty sure that he shouldn't be sleeping in soggy bedding. "Hey, wake up."

Kubota's eyelids fluttered open. "Too hot," he muttered, and then: "Why is everything wet?"

"I think it's sweat."

"Oh," Kubota said, and sat up slowly. "I guess my fever broke."

"Does that mean you're better?"

"Probably not all the way. But some. I think I need to change."

"Yeah, and these sheets are gross. Do you want to take a shower?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, yet. But maybe I could wipe off a little."

Tokito brought him a wet washrag and a towel and helped sponge him off. Then Kubota had to use the toilet, and he was wobbly like a drunk at bar-closing time when he walked to it: no wonder he didn't want to take a shower. Tokito made him sit on the sofa, dressed in fresh clothes and wrapped up in the bathrobe he never used, while Tokito pulled the bed apart and put dry bedding on it. Kubota was half asleep by the time he was finished, and he was shivering a little, again.

"Do you need more aspirin?" 

Kubota looked at the clock. "When did I take the other ones?"

"About 2:30," said Tokito. It was weird that Kubota didn't remember. He must be pretty sick.

"I guess I should have some more." Tokito got him two more tablets and another glass of water. Kubota's eyes kept sliding shut.

"You should go to sleep again, Kubo-chan."

"Yeah."

Tokito got him all covered up again. Then he thought maybe he should put the wet stuff in the washer, but Kubota's hand came out from the covers and snagged his wrist: "You too."

It made Tokito want to pull away and say no, but he wasn't sure there was any point to it: he was still really tired, now that he thought about it. So he climbed into bed again and curled up with his back against Kubo-chan. Kubota put an arm around him. "Pervert," Tokito muttered, and fell asleep.

 


End file.
